


Nightmare

by Ot3srock



Series: Hotch being a dad to Spencer [3]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Autism, Autistic Spencer Reid, Dad Hotch, Hurt Spencer Reid, Nightmares, Protective Aaron Hotchner, Sad Spencer Reid, Spencer Reid Whump, TW: Mentions of abuse, TW: Nightmares, tw: mentions of sexual assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24236965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ot3srock/pseuds/Ot3srock
Summary: Spencer whimpered in response and Hotch knew he was getting through to the boy. “That’s good. That’s really good, buddy. Wake up, okay? I’m right here.” And this time, Spencer did, eyes blinking open with disorientation present in them.“H-Hotch?”Or,Spencer has a nightmare and Hotch just so happens to be awake.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & Spencer Reid
Series: Hotch being a dad to Spencer [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747447
Comments: 16
Kudos: 470





	Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> So, it came to my attention that the title of the series was a bit misleading. I want to make it clear that I don't think that people with autism are childish, not do I classify Spencer as a child because of his autism. If anything I write offends anyone, just bring it to my attention in a respectful manner and I'll try to change it. I am in no way trying to offend anyone and I thank the person for bringing my attention to my mistake. I have changed the title to be a little less misleading so I hope this helps. Thank you! :)

The jet was silent. It had been a hard case and they were all exhausted. All of their cases were hard; death was never easy, but child abduction cases were particularly harder than any of the other ones they had. This time multiple children had been abducted within the same week from parks within a five mile radius. Only three had shown up again, mutilated and bruised in a way that it was nearly impossible to tell who they were without dental records. Eventually, they caught their unsubs when they found one of them stalking the crime scene. He gave up his partner and their location quickly, and the rest of the children had been relatively unharmed, but it still wasn’t a case that the team wanted to remember. So now they were sleeping it off on the three hour flight back to Quantico.

Well, most of them.

Aaron Hotchner sat awake, the dim overhead light helping him finalise some of the paperwork now. He wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, might as well get some work done. Plus, he had to make sure the rest of his team was alright after the case. Usually, at least one or two nightmares occurred after something like this and Hotch was prepared to give whatever comfort to whoever needed it. He was half expecting Morgan or Prentiss to have the most issues, considering their childhoods and the evidence of sexual assault on some of the older kids.

What he wasn’t expecting was the childlike whimper that sounded through the jet.

At first, he wasn’t sure he’d heard it at all, it was so quiet. But then another whimper sounded, louder this time and another shortly after that. Hotch looked in the direction of the whimpers and found them coming from the couch, where the lanky doctor was curled up, arms wrapped tightly around himself and knees up to his chest. His shoes were on the floor at the end of the couch. Hotch waited a moment, not sure if the nightmare would dissipate on its own and thoroughly disappointed when Spencer’s whimpering grew louder and louder and more frequent. Hotch closed the case file; he wasn’t really invested in it, anyway, and walked over to the young doctor, sitting cross-legged in front of the couch.

“Reid,” he whispered. No response. “Spencer, wake up, buddy. It’s just a dream.”

“No,” Reid whined, hands tightening around his arms. Hotch tried to think of a way to wake the kid without disturbing anyone else or causing Reid any distress. He reached out and placed a gentle hand on the doctor’s crossed arms. Spencer flinched, then relaxed into the touch, realizing it was a benevolent one.

“Spencer. It’s okay. I’m right here with you. Follow my voice, Spence. It’s okay. You’ll be okay, Spencer,” Hotch tried, using a skill he’d picked up with Jack. Spencer whimpered again, loudly, and Hotch cringed, looking around to see if anyone had woken up. To his luck, they were all still asleep, Morgan and Prentiss with headphones in and JJ and Rossi leaning against the windows.

“Please don’t,” Spencer begged whatever mysterious evil was in his dream. “Please. No, it’s not true.” Hotch felt his heart clench. He didn’t like seeing the doctor in distress. He took to rubbing his hand up and down Spencer’s arm slowly.

“Shh. It’s okay, Spencer. It’s okay. Wake up, Spencer. Follow the sound of my voice,” Hotch instructed. Spencer’s breathing picked up a bit and Hotch could tell he was getting closer and closer to being awake, so he kept up his antics, gently shushing his kid and running his hand along the young doctor’s arm.

“Hotch, no! Please, I can’t!” Spencer cried. Hotch took a sharp breath in and looked around the cabin. The others were starting to wake up now, alerted by the scream. Hotch had to do something to dispel them, but right now he needed to wake Spencer.

“Spencer, it’s alright. I’m right here, buddy,” Hotch spoke calmly, trying to break the trance of the dream his kid was in. Obviously, bad things were happening in there and Hotch had to drag Spencer back to reality. “Spencer, everything’s alright. It’s going to be okay. Just wake up, okay? Can you do that for me?” Spencer whimpered in response and Hotch knew he was getting through to the boy. “That’s good. That’s really good, buddy. Wake up, okay? I’m right here.” And this time, Spencer did, eyes blinking open with disorientation present in them.

“H-Hotch?” he asked, looking around. A dark blush weighed on his face as he noticed the others staring at him. Hotch turned toward them. They all looked concerned for their youngest member and in no way judgmental.

“I’ve got this, go back to sleep,” he told them and they nodded, settling back down. They were asleep again in minutes, or at least acting like they were. Hotch turned back to Spencer, who had tugged his lip between his teeth and was chewing on it nervously. “Hey. Don’t do that,” Hotch scolded gently, swiping a finger across Spencer’s lip to get him to understand. Spencer immediately freed his lip from its assault by his teeth.

“S-sorry,” he mumbled and Hotch knew it was an apology for both the lip biting and the nightmare.

“It’s alright. Do you want to talk about it?” Spencer shook his head, fiddling with his hands.

“Sorry,” he said again. Hotch took a shot in the dark.

“Are you feeling nonverbal right now?” he asked. Spencer paused for a second, thinking, before nodding. “Okay. Do you want a hug?” In response, Spencer sunk off the couch and into Hotch’s lap. Hotch had to admit, he’d gotten used to holding the doctor and found he missed the weight a bit. He wrapped his arms around the kid starting a gentle rocking back and forth motion. Spencer started to hum, eyes slipping closed before he realized what he’d done and stopped abruptly, brown eyes opening and looking at Hotch in fear.

“Sorry,” he repeated for the third time. Hotch clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“None of that, now. You’re doing what you need to and I’m proud of you,” he told the boy. He’d remembered Spencer’s reaction when Hotch had first told him he was proud of him. A light blush hugged Spencer’s cheeks as he nodded and continued humming in time with Hotch’s rocking. It was a half hour later that he finally spoke.

“I was caught by an unsub,” he mumbled before clearing his throat. “I was chained to the ceiling beams and I could barely touch the floor. The unsub tortured me a lot. He told me you weren’t coming to get me. That no one was looking for me. It’s not true, is it, Hotch?”

“No, Spence. It’s not true. Even if I have to search for the rest of my life, I would never stop looking for you,” Hotch vowed, relishing in the smile Spencer gave in response before continuing to hum.

“Thank you, Hotch.”

“Of course, Spence. Any time.” Hotch smiled down at him, though the doctor’s eyes were closed and he looked dangerously close to sleep. “It’s okay. You can. I’ll be here,” he assured and was rewarded when Spencer’s breathing evened out with sleep. Hotch sighed contentedly and slid back until his back was resting against the couch, eyes slipping closed himself.


End file.
